I want to thank everyone for the help and prayers that went into the successful completion of our Point Man Conference of May 16~18, 1997. The blessing of the weekend was the (10) individuals who came to the Lord because of you. The future of these men will be much brighter because the light of the Lord is now upon them.
Some of you were able to see the healing power of Jesus work throughout the weekend. Reconciliation and forgiveness was just part of what HE did for us. Now you see why myself and Vera are in this ministry.
To be able to go all over Central California and be available to do our Fathers Will is a dream that has become a burden me. At this time I cannot travel and minister to the vets and families that God has called me to do, because of my job.
To accomplish what God has started in this ministry, we must go full time. To do so would mean a total faith in fellow Christians like yourself who would pledge whatever you can to help defray costs in this ministry.
Most of you know about our missions to Vietnam. The missions are not only for the people of Vietnam, but for our vets and families as well. Each veteran who has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by the war, and goes on these missions receives a healing from the Lord, and the family members who go with them gain an understanding of their veteran. The memories are still there, but hurtful dreams and emotional conflicts with himself and family memebers are gone. The Lord has been faithful to the needs of veterans and family members and had used Vera and myself as willing vessels to accomplish His will in the lives of vets and families.
We are finding that the need of going to Vietnam is growing almost daily. Request are coming from all over the United States for time and dates. By being full time in the ministry, we could go from one (1) mission to three (3) missions per year.
Other expenses are:
Bibles
Tracts
Travel expenses
Office material
and everyday living expenses.
Please help us help our veterans and families, the LORD WILL BLESS you for what you can do.
CALIFORNIA ORGANIZATIONS (OUTPOSTS)
Bakersfield~Andy & Donna Gullixson (805) 834-5377
Bakersfield~John Heath (805) 833-8205
Camino~Chester Moak (916) 644-7215
Cupertino~Phil & Vera Kinsey (Central CA. Coordinator) (408) 255-4644
Escondido~Greg Izor (619) 746-4643
Grass Valley~Bob Schooly (916)268-1755
Lancaster~George & Linda Palermo (Southern CA. Coordinator) (805) 943-4776
Livermore~Dan & Angela CAmacho (510)606-6075
Moreno Valley~Bruce Mattei (909) 242-7489
Pomona~Marc King (909) 623-0808
San Diego~Alin Worley (619) 576-9344
Signal Hill~Patrick & Mary Kinard (310) 426-3835
Victorville~Rick Bulman (619) 241-9124
Vista~Jim Brunotte (Pacific Region Director) (619) 727-3592
Redding~Lee Craig (Northern CA Coordinator) (916) 243-8387
Susanville~Ron Deutach (408) 899-7093
Whittier~Jesse Alcantar (310) 695-1177
For information about OUTPOSTS in other areas of the United States contact one of these OUTPOSTS. They will be happy to put you in contact with the closest OUTPOST to your city.
Forgiveness is not an emotion. Forgiveness is an act of will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.
Fear, hate, and rage are destructive emotions. To counteract these negative emotions requires developing within our lives the healing and life-giving emotions such as trust, faith, and love.
Dear Editor Et.Al,
I am writing about your May article "Journey to the land of Scars" by Cindy Jacobs.
My husband, who is Vietnam veteran and I are quite upset over this article and over this group's activities. We feel very strongly, along with the veterans we deal with (which are many) that although this group may be well meaning they may cause the death or destruction of many more Vietnam veterans, and you, by publishing this article are a part of this.
We are an affiliate of Point Man International Ministries a Christian Outreach to veterans primarily Vietnam veterans. We have served in the San Francisco Bay area in this capacity for about 8 years now. We started in PMIM under the leadership of Chuck Dean before he stepped down and we are now under the Leadership of Del Wantland located in Sheridan, Michigan.
Your article is true it states the 58,000 Vietnam veterans died in the Vietnam war, but it failed to mention that approximately three times that many have committed suicide since the war ended, which was never declared a war by the way.
The group that went over and ask forgiveness for involvement in Vietnam do not know or understand the history of this so-called war. They spoke of being fearful because they had heard of others being held and interrogated. They should have been fearful because this is quite true, but the reason this is true is because Vietnam is now a godless communist country. This was the very thing our brave young men fought and died for, they were trying to prevent Vietnam from being taken over by the communists. It was because of ignorance like this group's that this country is now not free and why they have to be careful. Jane Fonda thought she was doing the right thing, but while our young men were out fighting and dying she was siding with the communists. This group has unintentionally done the same thing when they went there and sided with the communists. Because of Fonda's involvement with the communists she was able to help persuade the American people to turn against the war and because of their protesting they were able to get our government to stop helping the South Vietnamese people and ultimately they turned against our own brave, young men. We left hundreds of South Vietnamese defenseless and unable to help themselves because of the protesting of the American people. We left our young men feeling useless, unloved and feeling as though no one cared about them. They felt betrayed by their own country, because of the protesting. They are only now beginning (thanks to ministries like Point Man Ministries) to finally be able to know their worth through Jesus Christ our Lord. The article was correct when it stated that our involvement in that war tore our country apart, but it not because of anything our brave warriors did. It was because of the ignorance of the American people concerning the purpose of that war and because they were swayed by the communist propaganda. It was not because God was not in that war, but because the American people were not in that war.
The museum in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City to the communists) is called "The aggressors museum" not the war Remnants Museum. This aggressors museum is there for the sole purpose of proving (propaganda) to anyone that comes there how wrong America was in helping the South Vietnamese people try to stay free from communism. They make it sound as though American's descended on Vietnam for no reason at all and fail to mention that other countries were involved in helping the South Vietnamese stay free.
My husband and I have been to this museum many times on our frequent Short-Term Mission trips to help the people of Vietnam. We are aware of what is inside this museum, most of which does not mention what the North Vietnamese did to the South Vietnamese. Of course it's slanted, It is communist propaganda. The first time we visited the museum a crowd of non-communist people were standing in a circle waiting for to come out pointing to the museum and saying, "No good, No good". They wanted us to know that they do not agree with the things said about America.
This group of "Prayer Warriors" didn't even seem to know that the Vietnamese
love the American soldiers. When we go over they love our veterans, because
they know our American soldiers tried to help them stay free. One thing
mentioned in the article was the bottle of babies that were supposed to have
died from Agent Orange. We saw these bottles when we visited this museum is
1995, but please be aware that those bottles were not there in 1992 when we
visited the museum. This would make us wonder if these deaths were from Agent
Orange, or whether they are aborted babies or babies that were deformed from
malnutrition of the mother's? We have visited many areas that have shown us
that the children are afflicted with many horrible diseases from malnutrition
and the horribly unclean living conditions. We do not doubt that Agent Orange
is a problem in Vietnam, but our veterans did not have any part of this tragedy..
Our government did. It was ordered by our government and called "Operation
Ranch Hand". The idea was good in that they were trying to clear the jungles
in order to deprive cover to the enemy, so that our men and the South Vietnamese
would not be ambushed so badly. Unfortunately it backfired on us. If this
group had researched before they went on this venture they would have known
that they needed to ask forgiveness for how that war was handled. They needed
to ask forgiveness for the people that caused our government to do wrong because
of their protesting. Our veterans have been kicked around long enough and
they have paid the price for their service to our country. How about asking
forgiveness for the way our veterans were treated. This group needed to ask
that America wake up and ask forgiveness for the suffering veterans have
received from their own country. They need to ask that America ask foregiveness
for the suffering their wives and children have had to undergo from not having
their veteran husband or father alive or a whole person. Agent Orange is as
much a problem with or veterans, as with the Vietnamese people. Many of our
veterans have suffered and died. Many have produced children that have suffered...
To say that our men need to repent is just wrong. Our men need to heal not apologize for something you, the American people perceived the veteran is guilty of, when it is in fact the American people that need to repent for the way they have treated our own veterans. The veterans are the victims, they just went and served their country. Their reward was to get blood thrown at them or called a baby killer, this was done by the very people they went to serve, people that had not a clue what was going on. Now 30 years later when they are finally able to hold their heads up (somewhat) this group is going to tell them they need to ask forgiveness for what they did wrong?
It wasn't until about 1988 that my husband could even think of letting anyone know he was a Vietnam veteran and there are many more like him, because he was made to feel so ashamed. The article mentioned the homeless standing on the street corners as being poor Vietnam veterans. The writer of that article should have checked these men out better. I have personally talked to many of these so-called Vietnam veterans and most of them never even left the United States and many times they are not even old enough to have been in Vietnam. Most of these so-called Vietnam veterans usually are just lazy, or on drugs and have decided that they do not want to work. Most of them are capitalizing on the fact that America is beginning to finally realize that they did our Vietnam veterans wrong and they are playing on America's guilt. These phony groups are now bringing shame on our TRUE brave Vietnam veterans again. If the author of this article had researched better she would have known this fact.
This group may say they were being led of the spirit to do things, but because of all the people they will hurt by their actions we have to ask, what spirit were they being led by? They should have studied more about the war before they ventured on this trip. They should have been more aware of circumstances. They should have asked a few South Vietnamese in our country, or the ones trapped still in their country under communsit rule what they thought about our involvement. They needed to ask them what they thought about an American taking his shoes off in a communist-run museum and asking forgiveness of someone who hates God and all He stands for. They should have taken in a Vietnam veteran who knew why he was there during the war, not a confused veteran.
We have taken teams of Vietnam veterans and their family members back to Vietnam once or twice a year since 1995. These veterans veterans and family members have received a tremendous healing from helping at the leper coloney, Orphanages and hospitals. They have given and received forgiveness, but not one of them has ever told a communist official that we were sorry for trying to free the South Vietnamese. There have been times that a former North Vietnamese soldier has met up with our guys. When they see that our veterans have scars as bad as theirs, sometimes worse, they just hug or shake hands and agree that WAR IS HELL. One of the guys who goes on our missions has no legs, one arm missing and an eye, when they see him they know that nobody wins. There have been many times they either hug or shake his one hand (usually they hug). Our teams have given and gotten forgiveness and most of all understanding.
We minister to the South Vietnamese soldiers on the streets. Has this group checked to see how the now communist government treats the South Vietnamese veterans? We love and care about people oppressed by the godless government, but we never ask forgiveness from a government that is out to satisfy itself while it keeps its people oppressed and poor.
I strongly suggest that you research things like this before you print them, and as for the group, I suggest that they research things far better before they venture out.
Chuck Dean, the former president of PMIM, writes in his latest book "Behind Enemy Lines" that a combat operation is a basic military procedure. In planning a combat operation we need to be prepared with good intelligence. Another crucial pre-planning topic is the nature of the terrain or ground you will be fighting on. You must have a clear understanding and knowledge of the terrain, or you are well-advised not to attempt any tactical operations on it.
It is the same in Christian missionary deployment; Know what ground and whose ground you are operating on before setting out.
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